


You look better off anon

by orphan_account



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: A lil bit of swearing, Alternate Universe - College/University, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-24
Updated: 2017-08-24
Packaged: 2018-12-14 20:24:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11790798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Johnny is starting to develop a crush on the anon that leaves him cute messages every day. Little does he know the anon is actually his long time friend, Taeyong"





	You look better off anon

**Author's Note:**

> (AU in which the tumblr app works)  
> Hi ! I struggled so much to finish this fic but I reeaaally hope it turned out not too bad ;-;  
> @the person who submitted: first off, your prompt was A++++ ! Thank you for submitting it and I hope I kinda did justice to it and you'll like it ! I'll be more than fine if you're the only person who likes it, honestly :')  
> Anyways! Happy reading !

“Does anyone have the _real_ time, please ?” 

“We gave it to you like two times already,” Doyoung hissed. “Stop asking, it’s just making things worse.” 

“Well it’s not my fault if it feels like someone’s turning time back.” Johnny pouted. “Whatever, I’m just going to distract myself,” he said opening a new tab and completely abandoning the one he used to takes notes of the class. “I’m going to record the lecture though, so don’t talk too loud, thanks.” 

Someone - Doyoung, Johnny guessed - scoffed on his right but he decided to ignore him, focusing on what was really important at this instant: forgetting he was stuck in this boring lecture for more than an hour and a half. 

“What is it about again ?” Taeyong asked in a whisper, taking his attention off of the lecture for the first time since its beginning. 

“What ?” 

“Your blog,” Taeyong said as he motioned to Johnny’s computer screen with his chin. 

“Oh,” Johnny started, a smile growing on his face as he finally teared his gaze from the screen to look at Taeyong. “It’s a kpop blog."  


Taeyong giggled. 

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not making fun of you. I just think it’s cute, like, considering your image and all,” he said to justify himself. 

There was some kind of fondness in Taeyong’s voice that Johnny didn't notice, too busy being offended by the initial judgement. 

“Don’t talk to me ever again. I don’t deal with haters.” 

Taeyong giggled again, and opened his mouth to try and reassure his friend but Johnny cut him short.  


“I said, ‘don’t talk to me’. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go and communicate with people that actually appreciate my passion with zero judgement,” he dramatically announced, as he struggled to get his hair out of his face. 

Taeyong was fighting against the urge to both laugh out loud and help Johnny deal with his rebellious strands of hair. The latter was stronger and, maybe, it wouldn’t be too weird if he helped him... 

“Did you guys forget we were in, uh, what’s the word again ?” Doyoung started in somewhat loud whispers. “Ah, in class ?” 

Taeyong had never been more thankful for any of Doyoung’s lame interventions. 

“Doyoung, just a suggestion but, since you’re not actually listening yourself, maybe you shouldn’t be saying anything,” Ten intervened, directing his biggest fake smile to Doyoung. 

“Yeah, but at least, I’m doing something school related. I’m not busy gushing about some… random idols.” 

Taeyong sensed that Johnny was on the verge of throwing his laptop at Doyoung and felt the need to put an halt to this nonsensical exchange. 

“Doyoung, I love you and all, but shut your judgemental mouth please.” 

“Uh- um- sorr- what ?” 

“Shut. Up,” came the reply in unison, the rolling of their eyes almost visible through their words.  


Doyoung did obey and didn’t peep another word for the rest of the class, settling on loud typing to remind them he was hurt. They all knew it would be forgotten by the end of the class so no one bothered trying to comfort him and everyone went back to their activities. Except for Taeyong, who was keeping an eye on Johnny’s laptop screen. He observed as he clicked on the “inbox” icon, and his eyes trailed from the laptop to Johnny’s face just in time for him to see his confusion melt into slightly crimson cheeks and a shy smile.  


Taeyong would have liked to tell him one of the “people who accepted his passion” was also the one he called a hater a few minutes prior. He didn’t open his mouth though, quietly basking in the feeling of pride emanating from the fact he had made Johnny’s day a little happier.  


  


*

  


“I just… I just don’t get it. Why do you even bother ? What does it bring you ?” Doyoung asked, genuine confusion in his tone. 

“It just makes me happy ! Did you see the look on his face ?” 

“Yes, I saw ‘the look on his face’. And on yours too. It almost looks like it makes you happier than him,” Doyoung scoffed. 

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “It just makes me slightly happy, don’t exaggerate.” 

“Honestly, it’s a miracle he hasn’t understood you are the one leaving those messages… It’s even a greater miracle he hasn’t understood you clearly liked him as more as just a friend. With the way you look at him even the professor would have noticed,” Doyoung said as he leaned forward on his bed to look at Taeyong with his eyes wide open. 

“Oh, shut up,” Taeyong said, pushing on Doyoung's shoulders to put him back into his original position. The smile tugging at his lips coupled with his pinkish cheeks didn’t help in making him look as exasperated as he wanted to. 

“Oooh, someone’s blushing ! I’m having a hard time distinguishing your hair from your face, are you-” 

“Oh, shut the fuck up !” Taeyong exclaimed as he let go of Doyoung’s shoulders, depriving him of his only support. 

“You can’t run away from your feelings forever,” Doyoung replied when he found his balance again. “Just tell him, I’m sure he’ll find it cute !" 

“I don’t want him to find me cute-” 

“I know. You want him to be in love with you. But it won’t work like this. When he'll find out - and I insist on _when_ \- he’ll just think you’re weird-” 

“He already knows that." 

“-and, that you played with him.” 

“But… I’m not- I’m not ‘playing’ with him.” Taeyong blurted out. “It’s just… I can’t possibly do what I do through the anon messages in real life. Like, it’s a thing couples do. Sending messages every morning, I mean.” 

“You just admitted it !” Doyoung screamed, hysterically clapping his hands. “I’m such a genius.” 

Taeyong’s red cheeks came back full force and he got up in a hurry, needing to escape this talk about his feelings as quickly as possible. 

“For real, tell the truth Taeyong ! Or the lies will backfire !” Doyoung yelled at Taeyong’s back. 

“I’m not lying.” 

“Yeah-“ 

“Shut ! Up !” 

Doyoung heard Taeyong grunt before the slam of his bedroom door covered every other noise. 

  


*

  


> Good morning ! Hope you’ll have a nice day ! - random anon

_Good morning to you too !_

It took Johnny three days to notice the recurring pattern in the anon messages and a little more for him to notice the stupid smile that bloomed on his face at each message. A week into the exchange, Johnny started to wonder what the person he was talking to could look like. He started to wonder about their hair color, their first language, their height and other random things.  
He didn't ask anything by fear of sounding weird. He was already happy with that. 

  


> Hellooo ! I hope you’re doing fine ? The weather has been weird lately so I hope you’re taking good care of you ! Have a nice day ~ - random anon  
> 

_Don't worry, I'm well covered in my ski suit ! Take care of you too !_

By the second week, the sight of one of those messages on his inbox had became an habit and "replying to random anon" was part of his mental to-do list each morning. He was starting to get even more curious about them and was tempted to ask their first name, just to get to know them a little better. He was not sure it would be okay - they were on anon for a reason - so he just decided not to ask. He was already more than thankful for all the love they sent him and more than content with the random conversations they shared.

  


> Hiiii ! < that was a scream not a “hi”. I’m sorry I completely forgot to send you a message this morning ;; I was late for class ! Hope your day was not too gloomy bc of that :((( - random anon

_You didn’t wish me a nice day so, yes, my day was and is still gloomy :(((( (jk I hope you made it in time to your class ! have a nice day !)_

By the third week, Johnny had to admit to himself he was most likely starting to get infatuated, whether he liked it or not (he didn't).  
Meeting up with his friends on the morning was not what he was looking forward to the most anymore, the anon messages were. He realized how important those messages were for him on the day the anon forgot to send him one and his mind kept coming up with all kind of situations that could have prevented them from writing on that morning. He had hated to admit the level of relief he felt and actually had to cover his mouth with both his hands to avoid squealing in the middle of the lecture hall when he checked his inbox for the 100th time of the day and finally saw a sign of life from them. His day had indeed been gloomy and he would have admitted that to anyone for nothing. Johnny started to want to slam his head against a wall when he caught himself dreaming about going on a date with the anon, despite having no idea of what that person looked like. On this day, he unwillingly admitted to himself that he was doomed and that maybe he should do something about the weird tug at his heart and the butterflies in his stomach he felt every morning when he opened his inbox.  
It was a weird concept for him to have a crush on someone he didn't know anything about - no age, name or even the country they were from. What if he ended up telling them and it turned out they lived at the other side of the world and were two times older than him ?  
His new sort-of romantic status apparently showed on his face as his friends kept asking who was the name of the lucky one, even when he insisted there was no "lucky one". Johnny noticed neither Doyoung nor Taeyong were bothering him about it, which he felt thankful for.

  


> You said you had exams today ? I hope you’ll ace them ! - random anon

_Okay, you reeeallly don't have to say yes. Like not at all. But... would you mind like, creating a blank account just so we can talk, like more freely ? Since you already send daily messages I mean, you really don't have to ! And thank you for the exams ! If you have some of your own, good luck too !_

Johnny regretted his reply five seconds after he sent it. The idea came during the night and it sounded like a genius one to his sleepy brain. The rest of the day was punctuated by random heart flutters and seemed extremely dull compared to what might happen if the anon said yes.

  


*

  


[14:25] **Taeyong:**  
DOYOUNG .

[14:26] **Doyoung:**  
Wtf Taeyong, I’m literally in the room next to yours.

“What do you want ?” Taeyong heard Doyoung call from the living room. 

“Uh… Nothing. Forget it,” he replied with so little conviction even he didn’t believe himself. He heard a grunt, a phone falling loudly on the couch, footsteps. A few seconds after, there were knocks on his door. 

“What is it ?” Doyoung asked through the closed door. 

“You can… go in,” Taeyong instructed shyly. 

The door opened, revealing a bored looking Doyoung. Taeyong knew better than to make him wait so he started to explain himself. 

“Well, it’s not… ‘nothing’. You know how I’m talking with Johnny through anon asks ?” 

“Yeah, the thing I told you to stop doing a million times,” Doyoung replied, leaning on the doorway and crossing his arms against his torso. 

“Uh… well, he just asked me if I could like, create a blank account so that we’d be able to talk through chat and save ourselves the trouble of the ask thing.” 

“And… ?” Doyoung asked when Taeyong didn’t go on. “Why are you telling me that ?” 

“Uh… I kinda… maybe, wanted your opinion...” Doyoung rolled his eyes. “Pretty please ?” Doyoung glared at him for what felt like an eternity before he reluctantly added: 

“You already know what I’m gonna say.” 

“Do you really think it would be that bad ?” Taeyong asked quietly, nervously playing with the fabric of his blanket. 

“Of course ! I mean, you are friends. You have been texting for years, the percentage of chances you’ll betray yourself by talking in real time with him is… very high.” 

“But if I said no, wouldn’t it seem even weirder ? Like, what reason could I possibly have to not say yes ?” 

“I don’t know. Keeping your privacy-” 

“He literally never asked me anything about me as a person,” Taeyong interrupted, realizing only after saying it that it wasn’t necessarily a good point. 

“Well then, you’re both idiots," Doyoung exclaimed, hands falling at his sides. "Did he never have the ‘you shouldn't talk to strangers on the internet’ talk ?” he added, bewildered, more to himself than to Taeyong. 

“Doesn’t look like it…” 

“Honestly, this whole thing might end up in a mess you’ll regret you even started and both you and Johnny might end up really hurt,” Doyoung said in a parent-like tone Taeyong was not used to hear. “Stop this as soon as you can. I insist.” 

“I know you’re right-” 

“Damn right I am. Now, stop thinking and- no, don’t stop thinking, try to think of a way to wrap all that up nicely. Or even better: just go and declare you undying love to Johnny !” Taeyong grumbled what sounded like insults but Doyoung simply ignored him, walking back to the couch. 

“Doyoung ! The door !” Taeyong whined. Understanding Doyoung wasn’t going to make the extra effort to close the door he purposefully left opened, he got up of his bed, sighing at his friend’s childish behaviour. 

“Oh, you asked me to close the door ? I’m sorry I didn’t hear !” Doyoung screamed from the living room right after Taeyong closed it, sounding everything but sorry. 

“I hate you !” Taeyong screamed as he fell back on his bed. 

He took out his earphones to listen to some music in order to block out all other noises - especially Doyoung’s ugly laugh in the distance - and try to focus on a solution. Focusing hard for more than 30 minutes only allowed him to come to the conclusion that Doyoung was right. But still no solution as to what he was supposed to do.  
Replaying his discussion with Doyoung, he felt like he had found at least a temporary solution. If he was afraid of betraying himself while talking both as the anon and as himself, maybe the solution was to keep his real life messaging with Johnny to a minimum. Taeyong wasn’t sure it was the greatest idea - he had a hunch it wasn’t - but it was the most he could come up with at the moment. Settling on that, he moved on to the next step.  
From his new blog - created after ten minutes spent trying out all kind of number combinations - he opened a new chat box with Johnny and sent him a quick message. He really hoped it would make him happy.

  


*

  


**king-of-the-fandoms sent a picture**  
this is my last class before school is over I can’t believe

 **anon10678**  
don’t you still have finals to pass ?

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
details

 **anon10678**  
LMAO  
if you say so  
don’t come at me crying if you don’t pass

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
thanks for the support buddy

 **anon10678**  
talking like a 1940’s Steve Rogers I see

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
okay stfu I’m in class I need to listen

 **anon10678**  
unbelievable…

Johnny smiled at his laptop screen before closing the little chat window and actually trying to listen to the class. “Trying” was the key word, any kind of motivation he had left vanishing the moment his professor announced he would release them 30 minutes earlier than usual. Johnny decided he had paid attention for long enough and set his audio recorder app for the remaining time, allowing himself to think about all the things he would be able to do with those extra minutes on his last day of class. He considered heading back to his place to take a nap he definitely did nothing to deserve but felt like sleeping now would be a waste considering the exceptionally good mood he was in. Mentally scrolling through his friends’ catalog, he instinctively stopped on Taeyong. Johnny wouldn’t have been able to explain what was going on, but it felt like Taeyong was more absent lately, rarely messaging him back, always having something to work on, so the prospect of spending an evening with him put him in an even greater mood.  
Friday afternoons were usually their thing. Taeyong’s last class ended a couple minutes before Johnny’s, allowing him to go and wait in front of his lecture hall so they could spend the evening together. Doyoung and Ten ended up joining them more often than not and it was always a lot of fun. It was one of the rare days Taeyong allowed himself to not even acknowledge the existence of his academic responsibilities, marking Johnny’s only success at trying to make Taeyong join him in the dark side. Apparently, a place "full of procrastination and last minute stress" wasn't appealing enough for Taeyong.  
Johnny almost skipped his way to Taeyong's lecture hall. He stepped into it as discreetly as possible, trying not to look too suspicious even though he was literally coming a few minutes before the end of the class. He sat two rows behind Taeyong, who was lazily browsing the internet, his chin resting on his left hand, not even pretending to listen to his professor.  
Johnny observed the scene, amused, before his eyes focused on what Taeyong was doing on his computer. Johnny’s eyebrows knitted as he saw Taeyong scrolling through a blog that looked oddly like his. Then he chuckled at something, and Johnny leaned a bit forward to try to take a look at what Taeyong was laughing at. There was not much room for doubt now, Johnny was pretty sure he had recognized one of his posts from the day before. Johnny didn't know why he suddenly felt uneasy. A thought crossed his mind but it really didn't make any sense. Or at least, Johnny didn't want it to make sense. He still decided to try something out, just to be sure.  
Johnny opened his app, went into the chat he had with the “anon” and slowly began to type.  


**king-of-the-fandoms**  
What are you doing ? 

He saw Taeyong shift to another tab, ending up on a tumblr dashboard. Johnny’s hands were sweaty and his heart was pounding so hard it felt like every sound around him was reduced to the minimum. He watched, passively, as Taeyong opened the chat window on his dashboard, began to type and Johnny’s phone lit up to announce a message from “anon10678”. It felt like Johnny wasn’t in control of his body anymore when he opened the notification to read the incoming messages.  


**anon10678**  
In class  
Very boring  
Should have been over in 10 minutes 30 minutes ago

Jaw clenched, blood boiling in his veins, Johnny closed the app, got up and excited the lecture hall, not caring the slightest if he looked weird or even stupid.

  


*

  


Johnny was not the type to keep his problems to himself. He usually simply confronted the person he had a problem with so that said problem would be solved as quickly as possible. But something was different this time, and he wasn’t sure himself he knew what was bothering him but he couldn’t convince himself to get his phone and send a simple message to Taeyong to ask for an explanation. The most logical explanation would be that he didn’t want to argue with Taeyong, but even then, it didn't make much sense. In all the years they spent together, Taeyong and Johnny had had disagreements and Johnny had never hesitated to reach out to him to settle those; so what was different now ? Thinking about it for more than 5 minutes made his head hurt but not thinking about it was apparently not an option either.  
So Johnny tried everything for the following hours. He tried to sleep but the room was too bright and he was too lazy to close the curtains. He tried reading but his mind kept going back to Taeyong, the anon that was in fact Taeyong or the upcoming finals and the holidays that would follow and risked to be pretty dull without Taeyong in his circle of friends. He tried meditating but how come Taeyong’s face popped up every time he closed his eyes ? He tried managing his blog but he found himself going back to the conversations he had had with Taeyong both through asks and through the chat and it made him feel gloomy.  
Groaning in frustration, he fumbled to find the phone he had abandoned somewhere in his blanket. Sitting on his bed, phone in hand, he opened his messages - purposefully ignoring his conversation with Taeyong, even though it looked like it was calling for him - and sent a text to Ten. Johnny had concluded that he wouldn’t be able to think about anything else as long as he stayed alone and Ten and his lame jokes seemed like the perfect distraction but, funnily enough, he seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth the only time he actually needed him home. Johnny was busy cursing him under his breath when he received a call from him.  


“Hi !” Johnny started in an overly cheerful tone. 

“What’s wrong ?” Ten replied, skepticism piercing through his voice. Johnny could almost see him squinting his eyes. 

“Nothing. Why should anything be wrong ?” 

“You never text me for anything other than to ask me to buy toilet paper, and every time I’m home, you ask when I’ll get out. So, you asking me when I’ll come back on the last friday of the school year is fishy.” 

“I don’t know-” 

“Don’t even try man. What’s wrong ?” 

Johnny sighed and used his free hand to massage his temple before he asked in a tiny voice: 

“Will you come back soon ?” 

“Oh my God. Something horrible must have happened. Do you want me to call a cab so I’ll come back sooner ?” 

“Aren’t you on the campus ? Why would you call a cab to navigate inside the campus ?” 

“I’m trying to be helpful here, be a little more understanding please.” 

“Ugh. Okay, you know what ? Nevermind. I’ll ask Doyoung if he’s available.” 

“Wow. You chose Doyoung company over mine. I should call the doctor.” 

“You’re a pain in the ass. Goodbye.” 

Johnny heard a bit of Ten cackling before he hung up. Sighing once more, he hesitated a bit before sending a message to Doyoung but ended up doing it anyway. He was really desperate. The chances of him being with Taeyong were pretty high but he was willing to try his luck - he would just have to come up with a shitty excuse to not go if Doyoung was with Taeyong.  


Doyoung was indeed with Taeyong.  


Grunting, Johnny sent a quick reply explaining that Ten just came back home and that he had to stay with him because he had been asking for his help. The inaccuracy of this information was just a detail, really but Johnny still wished Ten would have been home for real.  


Sliding into a foetal position, Johnny stared at his wall for a few minutes before accepting the fact that he was maybe meant to be alone - at this exact moment but also for the rest of his life. Ignoring the afternoon light the room was basking in, he snuggled into his blanket, determined to sleep all his problems off. He lifted the phone to his eye level to put it on airplane mode and block any attempt of people trying to talk to him when he remembered he hadn’t even replied to the “anon”. He felt a twinge of guilt which he suppressed right away. He wasn’t supposed to feel guilty, he was the one who had been played with after all. The feelings from a few hours before were all coming back to him, his heart starting to race and his blood to boil, and before he could do something stupid, he decided to logout of the app, put his phone on airplane mode and put it on his bedside table with more strength than necessary. After making sure he hadn’t break it, he closed his eyes and squeezed his blanket against his torso as he hoped he would forget everything about Taeyong and the anon when he’d wake up.

  


*

  


He hadn’t forgotten any of that. But he did feel a little less shitty. From habit, he extended his hand to grab his phone but stopped himself on time. He wasn’t ready to deal with anything today. He was going to enjoy the day and forget everything.  


Johnny was about to start off his morning routine when his eyes fell on a little piece of paper on his bedside table. Seizing it, he noticed it was attached to a chocolate bar. Johnny squinted his eyes to read in the poorly lit room, as the sun was still hiding in this outrageously early hour. It was a note from Ten which he managed to make sense of after a few seconds of adjustments.  


“I’m sorry i wasn’t there, I hope you’re fine. I came back an hour after I had you on the phone but you were already asleep so I bought that for you to ask for your forgiveness. ((It cost way more than was it is worth so i hope you appreciate the sentiment))”  


Smiling, Johnny put the bar back on the table and headed to the bathroom. He was definitely not mad at Ten but he indeed appreciated the sentiment.  


Something still felt off even once Johnny was completely freshen up, but he refused to think about it. He wanted to keep himself busy to avoid thinking too much. What he wanted to do wasn’t very clear though, so he literally took every opportunity coming his way. He went running in the middle of the day, assisted to conferences that had nothing to do with his major and read books he didn’t even know they had in their appartment. 

  


“Why are you reading the princess diaries ?” Ten had asked. 

“Because I love those books and it reminds me of happy times and childhood. Is there something wrong ?” Johnny had replied in a tone that sounded closer to an 18th century intellectual than the 21th century Johnny that Ten knew. 

“I should... really call a doctor,” Ten had added, walking backwards to get out of Johnny’s room while still keeping an eye on him. 

“Everything is fine my friend.” 

Ten had screamed.

  


When he noticed he had been reading the same sentence for the 3rd time, Johnny halted his reading to actually think. Pushing all thoughts in the back of his mind for two whole days hadn’t been his brightest idea, he acknowledged, as everything came back to him ten times more intensively. Oddly enough, he didn’t mind. He realized that running away from his feelings had tired him out more than anything and that it wasn’t, realistically speaking, a tiny bit sustainable. Taeyong and him were in the same group of friends and shared some classes - it seemed hardly possible to avoid him without raising suspicions. In fact, he didn't even want to have to avoid him.  
One thing of this whole exchange he couldn't ignore was the feelings he had developped for the person he was talking to. This was the purest form of feelings - feelings he developped for someone he knew nothing superficial about, for someone he fell for simply from their words and caring attitude. The more he thought about it, the more Johnny realized that, really, he should have noticed. Putting aside Taeyong's lack of discretion, the similarities in both the personality and talking style were glaring. And how could he not have noticed the pattern of him getting closer to the anon at the same time he grew apart from Taeyong ? Everything just seemed so logical once he actually tried to think about it and not run from it, he felt stupid for not doing it sooner.  
Now, he still didn't understand why Taeyong felt the need to do all of that instead of simply talking to him like he always did, but he was about to find out.  
Taeyong hadn't even technically lied and the only thing Johnny hoped for, was that he hadn't done all of that for some kind of social experiment or whatever that would make him feel like a laboratory rat. He didn’t mind Taeyong not returning his feelings, he just didn’t want him to play with him.  
Breathing in deeply, Johnny logged in his app and opened the chat window he had left untouched for the past two days. There was a lot of things he wanted to say but he didn't want to act impulsively so he settled on a simple message.  


**king-of-the-fandoms**  
Hi Taeyong.  


*

“Oh fuck,” Taeyong whispered. He read the two words several times, as if it would make them change or disappear. It didn’t. He considered talking to Doyoung but he already knew what his friend was going to say. Something along the lines of “I told you so. Of course he won’t be happy to know you played with him,” and Taeyong really was not willing to hear that at this exact moment.  
Muttering all kinds of obscenities under his breath, he mustered all the courage he could muster - not a lot - and firmly held his phone with the intention to reply. A lot of questions were colliding on his mind but one was in bold bright red letters, making him panic a little bit more every time he thought about it. He was about to formulate his question when he received another message from Johnny.

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
If you ask how I knew it was you, you can forget about me

"Okay now, how the fuck did he know that ?" Taeyong took a deep breath as he felt all his nerve cells coming together to find a suitable answer for the situation. Johnny seemed pissed and Taeyong wasn’t used to deal with an angry Johnny.  
“Okay okay… Focus, focus. Maybe... begin by apologizing ? Yes, great idea.” He was about to start typing when he was once again interrupted by an incoming message.

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
I’m not… I’m not mad, really. More like, disappointed I guess  
Confused too

Johnny was either in his room or reading his mind, Taeyong was now sure of this much. Shuddering at the thought he was being observed, he cast a glance over his right shoulder to make sure he was alone in the room. When his eyes went back on his phone screen, he had received three new messages.

 **king-of-the-fandoms**  
I’m not too far from your place  
I’m in front actually  
But I can always go if you don’t want to talk or anything

Taeyong wasn’t really surprised. He knew Johnny wasn’t the type to beat around the bush and had a preference for sorting things out by actually talking instead of texting. Sighing, he finally sent a reply. 

**anon10678**  
Give me 5mns  


  


They didn’t talk on the way to the park, the tension between them almost palpable in the narrow building hallway. 

Taeyong wasn’t sure he was ready for that. He knew it was going to happen at one point, but he had just hoped he would find the strength to admit everything to Johnny before he found out the truth. 

“Do you want me to go first ?” Johnny asked right as they stepped outside, interrupting his thread of thoughts. His tone was so gentle it made Taeyong look at him in surprise. “I told you, I’m not mad,” Johnny chuckled. Taeyong was now really taken aback. 

“I really just... want to understand.” 

Taeyong opened his mouth to reply when Johnny suddenly turned to him, panic glinting in his eyes and Taeyong felt a pang of guilt in his heart. 

“Please, just… tell me it wasn’t some sort of game or-” 

“Oh my God, no no no ! Never !" Taeyong was starting to panic too, feeling like he was trapped and that any answer could only be misinterpreted. He took a deep breath, reminding himself he was not talking to just anyone but to Johnny, who hadn’t even blamed him for anything. He just wanted explanations, he would have to be sincere and everything would be okay. 

“I…” Taeyong started shyly. “ I originally only wanted to make you smile, like to brighten up your day a bit, send you good vibes and all… Remember the boring ancient history class where we told Doyoung to shut up ?” 

"We... always tell Doyoung to shut up." 

"True. Uh... You know, the one where he said you were gushing about rand-" 

"Yes." 

"This one. It was the first time I got to see you actually reacting to one of my messages and I just... I don't know, you seemed suddenly so happy I wanted to keep trying to illuminate your days like this," Taeyong paused, eyes fixed on the floor, focusing on his steps way more than necessary given how slowly they were walking. Johnny didn't intervene, knowing Taeyong was just sorting his thoughts. "I don't think I had a precise idea of when I'd stop, maybe by the end of the school year or something. But then you started to reply and, this is going to sound weird but talking to you like that just felt... different. It was like talking to someone I didn't already know, even though I could clearly feel it was you ? I- I don't really know-"  


"I actually felt the same." 

"How- what do you mean ?" 

"Well, after I learned it was you, I spent a lot of time trying not to think about it. But I eventually did, like an hour ago, and... it seems logical you know ? I wouldn't know how to explain either but... in a way, it kinda feels like I know you differently now ? And..."  


At the prolonged silence, Taeyong lifted his head to look at Johnny. His face was as red as the shirt he was wearing and Taeyong wondered if he had ever seen him this flustered before. He didn't have much time to think about it though, Johnny breaking the silence and his thread of thoughts when he spoke up. 

"Okay. Please, don't... insult me or anything." 

"What is it Johnny ?" Taeyong asked, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible, not wanting to show he was starting to get really anxious. They were not walking anymore, Taeyong was standing in front of Johnny, carefully looking at him even though the latter was stubbornly staring at the floor. 

"I might or might not... have had a kind of crush on... on you, I guess ? I mean, on the anon, but it's you so-" 

"And is it, like... a thing of the past or... could you, possibly..." 

"That's the thing. I'm pretty sure I still kinda like more than I should-" Johnny didn't get to finish his sentence as Taeyong literally threw himself at him.  


"Taeyong ? What- why ?" 

Letting go of him, Taeyong looked at Johnny with such intensity it made him lower his gaze again, eyes on his hands, nervously playing with the hem of his sleeves.  


"I like you too. In the 'more than I should like you' kind of way." Taeyong was beaming at him and before he could add anything, he was engulfed in the warmth of Johnny's arms. He was glad his face was buried against his shirt as he allowed himself to let out a few tears of both relief and happiness.

  


*

  


[19:46] **Taeyong:**  
I THINK WE’RE TOGETHER ???  
NOT YOU AND ME  
LIKE  
JOHNNY AND ME

[19:49] **Doyoung:**  
You are both idiots  
Kiss in front of my face just once and you’re both out of the squad

[19:50] **Taeyong:**  
I LOVE YOU

[19:51] **Doyoung:**  
Revolting.

  


*

  


Ten being a little more welcoming than Doyoung towards the new couple, Taeyong came more often at Johnny and Ten’s apartment than the contrary. It was fine for both of them though, except when Ten “accidentally” opened Johnny’s bedroom door to “check on them”. But they didn't let that affect them and simply decided to call a locksmith to put a key on that door.  


They were sitting on Johnny's bed - Johnny prompted against the wall, Taeyong nuzzled on his side. Johnny had his computer on his laps and was lazily browsing the internet to find something interesting to watch. They sat on semi-silence - their breathing, the scratching of Taeyong’s pencil on the paper, the flipping of the pages and the occasional typing sound composing the familiar melody of their lazy summer afternoons. 

"Honesty time," Taeyong said, breaking the calm of the room. Johnny hummed as a reply. "I... I had a crush on you way before I began to send those messages. It’s the main reason why I started sending them actually. I didn't plan on ever confessing to you but I wanted to try and make you happy from afar," he concluded his sentence in a whisper, embarrassed to say that out loud. 

Johnny chuckled. "Honesty minute," he started, voice quivering with laughter. "Honestly, you were pretty obvious." 

It happened pretty fast. Taeyong abruptly turned his head towards Johnny, a little offended he had never bothered to tell him about that earlier and about to ask if that meant he had faked being surprised when he confessed to him. Johnny was already looking down at Taeyong, shamelessly getting entertained by the various expressions of shock that crossed Taeyong's face in a matter of seconds. He was apparently way closer than he had realized and before both of them could understand how it happened, their lips collided. 

The initial shock was broken by Taeyong's giggles. More than the awkwardness of the situation, Johnny's expression and frozen posture were what triggered Taeyong’s laughter.  


Johnny eventually started moving again, laughter escaping his mouth too. The sound of their laughters resonated in the room for a while before they eventually calmed down.  


Taeyong was busy wiping the tears from his eyes as he watched Johnny take his laptop and put it on his bedside table. There was a down time. Johnny ran his hand through his hair, looking like he was deep in his thoughts. Taeyong stood still, wondering if he had done anything wrong and was about to apologize, just in case, when Johnny suddenly smiled at him. Taeyong didn't have time to think as Johnny suddenly launched a surprise tickle attack on him. Taeyong's pleads weren't enough to make him stop, promising he would only do so after Taeyong apologized. Taeyong cried out he was sorry at least ten times before Johnny actually kept his promise. He didn’t know what he had apologized for but he was just glad he was finally released. He was thinking of a way to take his revenge when they heard Ten scream he was going to Doyoung's place because he was sick of their happiness. It only made them laugh again and a loud “shut up” reached their ears, followed by the slam of the door.  


They couldn't deny they were happy, and even if what they had now had nothing to do with how they imagined things would be, they wouldn't dare to ask for more.

**Author's Note:**

> I basically reenacted High School Musical's "Scream" MV while I was trying to finish this fic. With less aesthetic and more rolling on the floor buuuut I hope it's okay ?  
> @the person who submitted: don't hesitate to tell me if I can improve anything or whatever, really ! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed ! Thank you for taking the time to read, have a nice day/night !


End file.
